Spectators who caused a group crash early in stage 15 of the Tour de France may be liable for legal action and damages against the Jumbo-Visma team. Reuters reported that the French gendarmerie has identified the fan who started the incident.

Sepp Kuss, a key lieutenant of Jumbo-Visma race leader Jonas Vingegaard, crashed violently along with teammate Nathan Van Hooydonk and other riders.

Reuters, speaking to a source with direct knowledge of the matter, reported that the spectators would not be arrested unless Kuss and Jumbo-Visma filed charges with French police in accordance with French legal procedures.

When asked if the riders would press charges, a spokesman for Jumbo-Visma replied: "The team might. When and how will remain to be seen."

"We owe it to the riders who were on the scene. Not only us, but also the riders of the other teams," Jumbo Visma team manager Richard Plug told Dutch broadcaster NOS, urging fans to behave themselves when watching the Tour de France from the roadside.

"I think there were spectators leaning out into the road. It happened all of a sudden and there are a lot of people at the Tour. Ideally that doesn't happen, but it's the biggest bike race in the world, so a lot of people don't know exactly what's going on."

"It was getting narrower all over town. We were trying to slow down the peloton and let the break go, but unfortunately someone was trying to take a selfie on the side of it. I didn't notice it. All of the fallers remained until the end of stage 15, but a number were listed in the race medical report as having received treatment during the stage.

This is not the first time a spectator has caused a crash in the Tour de France, nor is it the first time legal action against spectators has been discussed.

In 2021, on the opening stage from Brest to Landerneau, "Alle opi omi!" was arrested and prosecuted by police after a woman stood in the street holding a cardboard sign that read "Alle Opi Omi!

Tony Martin of Jumbo Visma was unable to avoid her, causing a mass pileup. In doing so, she was fined €1,200 by a French court and ordered to pay a symbolic €1 to the French cycling federation UNCP.

ASO, the organizer of the Tour de France, dropped the lawsuit but called on spectators to respect the riders.